{"id":36,"date":"2008-03-08T15:29:43","date_gmt":"2008-03-08T20:29:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/?p=36"},"modified":"2025-08-18T15:08:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T20:08:26","slug":"spring-summer-2008","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/spring-summer-2008\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring\/Summer 2008"},"content":{"rendered":"

Message from the Director – Spring-Summer 2008<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

My plan for the next six months is simple: Share more photos, share more narratives with more student\/adult groups, ecumenical and otherwise. Mount the photo exhibition and screen the video montage of these personal family photos found at Auschwitz-Birkenau for more cities, so that more minds can be opened. As more and more research is completed, more and more identifications emerge, and more and more stories continue to be unearthed. With each discovery, in a sense, more and more lives are being preserved, shared and remembered. Click here<\/a> to learn more about these photos.<\/p>\n

I recently returned from Florida, where I reconnected with Holocaust survivors, who have shared their memories with me over the course of many years – it is their memories that transformed these photos from anonymous images to cherished photos of friends and family, many of whose stories we now know.<\/p>\n

The photos in The Last Album<\/u><\/i> show the images and memories that Jews deported to Auschwitz couldn’t leave behind. They show who and what they cherished most, the very photos they chose for remembering their own lives. <\/p>\n

Letters to Share with You<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the last director’s message, I shared an extraordinary letter from Paris. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nI receive beautiful letters from people who have read the book,
\nseen my film or viewed my traveling photo exhibition. I feel so
\ngrateful for all of them, but recently a letter arrived from Paris
\nthat stood out for me\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand not only because I had to dig deep
\nin the recesses of my high school memory to translate it.
\nThough Monsieur Luc has never met me, he took the time to
\ntell me what happened when he wandered into a French
\nbookstore and found my book on a table [Note: in addition
\nto English versions of The Last Album, there exist also French
\nand German editions, published by Autrements and Piper Verlag,
\nrespectively). Following is an excerpt of the letter from Paris:\n<\/p>\n

\nI ought to tell you that I’m not a Jew.
\n[In the bookstore, they had The Last Album<\/u>].
\nI don’t know why, I decided to buy it. When I came to my home,
\nI submerged myself in the album – in emotions, in tears, in suffering –
\nthe love for all these people.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\nWell, for them and for me, I would like to thank you.
\nDue to you, I have the impression yesterday of these
\npeople – their brothers, their sisters, their parents, their
\nfriends – have been alive, have been happy at the time
\nof my reading.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\nI am not more than a drop of water in that human
\nocean but I want to save the memory of those people
\nand not forget that one day in 2007, a book provoked
\nmy tears<\/em>\n<\/p>\n

\nIn his letter, and in his words that followed (the complete
\nletter can be read in the Share your Thoughts<\/strong><\/a> section),
\nLuc is performing one of the most powerful acts possible,
\nremembering the souls of the dead.\n<\/p>\n

<\/quickcode><\/p>\n

I thank Luc, and all those who have written to me, for the gift of your words, the treasure of your thoughts, and the inspiration they have given me to continue.<\/p>\n

I’d also like to share with you a few student and adult letters sent after seeing these photos and hearing these stories. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Selected Adult Comments
\non book, film, exhibition, speeches
\nThe Last Album: Eyes from the Ashes of Auschwitz-Birkenau<\/u>
\n<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n“This is a document of human perseverance, a testament to the
\nhorrors–and the wonder–of the human spirit, and a snapshot of
\nthe soul of a people in more innocent times.”\n<\/p>\n

\n–David Friend, Special Projects, Vanity Fair,
\nformer LIFE Magazine Photo Editor\n<\/p>\n

\nThis album shows all our lives at a time when we were living,
\nnot when we were dying – In these smiling faces, I see all our
\nfamilies, all our youth groups, our sports clubs and synagogues,
\nthe smiling faces when we were together. These pictures mirror
\nevery town and every city where the Jewish people were living
\nand thriving before the war. The tragedy is that these fragments
\nemerged only after most of the people were already dead in the
\ncrematorium. The triumph is that these photos emerged at all!
\nThanks to Ann Weiss, the historical value of this book is that you
\ncan now see the Jewish people in their bloom, not only in their
\nsuffering, and for this, other survivors and I will be eternally
\ngrateful.\n<\/p>\n

\nHenry Skorr, Holocaust survivor from Kalisz, Poland\n<\/p>\n

\n“What’s important about this excellent book is that Ann Weiss
\nshows us the real photos of the real people and you can see
\nhow beautiful the people were, and how beautiful life once was.
\nI am among the youngest of those who survived, and I believe
\nthat, not the abstract idea, but the concrete reality must be
\npreserved. In these precious photos, Ann Weiss shows how much
\nwe all have in common, as she displays the full gamut of pre-war
\nsociety–men, women, children, religious, not-religious, urban, rural.
\nIt is an important book; it is a beautiful book. Cherish it–It
\nrepresents our lives.”\n<\/p>\n

\nYaffa Eliach, Founder of the Shtetl Project
\nAuthor of Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust, and
\nThere Once was a Time, and creator of the
\nTower of Eisheshek, at the DC Holocaust Museum\n<\/p>\n

\nHolocaust victims, dead or alive, want to be remembered for their
\naffirmation of life not just their suffering. In The Last Album,
\nAnn Weiss brilliantly depicts the vibrant Jewish life and culture
\nthat was annihilated in Europe during the German occupation.
\nThe book is a treasure of photos accompanied by narrative
\nsure to remain etched in readers’ minds.\n<\/p>\n

\nEva Fogelman, Ph.D is the author of the award-winning
\nConscience and Courage: Rescuers of Jews During the
\nHolocaust and writer and co-producer Breaking the Silence:
\nGeneration After the Holocaust.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Six million death is a statistic, a datum, but the photograph
\nof a child\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat is a knowable tragedy! A group of friends\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthat
\nis a horror! They killed, one by one. These photographs show
\nme people, one by one. “How was it possible?” I always ask.
\nNow I see faces and eyes as I ask.\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nMartin Rosenzweig, Math Professor, Rhode Island\n<\/p>\n

\n“I used to think that the Jews must have done something.
\nWhy else would they be killed? But when I saw these beautiful
\npictures [in the newspaper], I was struck with how they were
\njust like me! And then, their lives ended for no reason except
\nthey were Jews. I just wanted to cry.”\n<\/p>\n

\nMaryAnne K., Southern Baptist secretary, North Carolina\n<\/p>\n

\n“By depicting these Jews of Europe at momentous times in their
\nlives, it gives a context for their deaths that resonates in ways
\nthat the magnitude of the numbers cannot. This portrays the
\nvictims as they themselves would want to be remembered.”\n<\/p>\n

\nJosey Borowsky Stamm, Esq., University of the Arts\n<\/p>\n

\n“Transformed the Holocaust from an unimaginable recitation
\nof statistics to an intensely personal realization of what and
\nwho were lost, from a focus on death to an affirmation of life.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nRabbi Henry Cohen, Pennsylvania\n<\/p>\n

\n“Your film .. invited me to participate. Yes, it was the eyes.
\nThe wall was gone which separated me from Jewish life – for
\nme, there had been only Jewish death, and no end. We must
\nnot forget, but your film adds a new note of not forgetting.
\nRemembering lives and individual faces builds a bridge to today.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nFriederich Gronnar, former Hitler Youth, psychiatrist now
\ndevoted to peace work in Germany\n<\/p>\n

<\/quickcode><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\nStudent Comments about the Photos and Stories
\n<\/u><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nThere are three major themes that emerge when students write
\nor comment re: the photos:
\n1-“I never saw normal pictures of Jews, just the horrible
\n    ones – until now.”\u009d
\n2-“Learn about the Holocaust, so we don’t repeat the history.”
\n3-“It makes me appreciate my own life.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nFollowing is a sampling of letters received from Fishers Junior
\nHigh School 8th graders, a rural community outside Indianapolis,
\nand juniors\/seniors at North Central High School, the largest
\nsecondary school in urban Indianapolis. The students were mostly
\nChristian in the rural community, located ironically near White
\nSupremacist headquarter, and the urban students were both
\nBlack Muslims and Christians – yet the impact of the stories
\nand the photos was, as you can see, powerfully felt. If limited
\ntime, skip to last comment.\n<\/p>\n

\nFishers Junior High School<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nMandy, age 14:
\n“It gave me a new perspective on life.”\u009d
\nWhy study the Holocaust? “So nothing that terrible ever
\nhappens again.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nMegan, age 13:
\n“We are all different, and just because we are a different color
\nor believe in a different faith doesn’t mean they were not human
\nand didn’t deserve Freedom.”\u009d “The memory that I will take with
\nme is the faces.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nJulia, age 14:
\n“[These pictures and stories] don’t let us take life for granted”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nSara, age 13:
\n“I loved seeing all the smiles when all I thought of was frowns.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nDanny, age 14:
\n“It helps to see what these people were like before they were
\ntaken to camps. It was an important part of our history and it
\nshould never happen again.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nTiffanie, age 13:
\n“[Seeing the photos] gets you more of an idea that these people
\nlooked like us, but just because they were of a different ethnicity,
\nthey were chosen [to die].”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nJennifer, age 13:
\n“When seeing the photos, they just looked like normal people,
\n[showing] that we are all equal. Everyone is equal.
\n[We must learn about the Holocaust] so history does not repeat
\nitself and how we should treat people, all people, equally.”\n<\/p>\n

\nAli, age 14:
\n“It showed me the eyes of the innocent people who became
\nvictims of the Nazis. It made me understand how lucky I am
\nand how thankful I should be. Seeing the innocent people’s
\neyes got me the most. As I\tstared at them, I thought to
\nmyself, these are people like me.I think we should get into
\ngroups and talk”.\n<\/p>\n

\nLenn, age 14:
\n“People only see the pictures of awful things that happened.
\nThey can’t realize these Jewish people were normal, just
\nlike us. I will always remember to never judge anyone.
\nThis is so important, no one should be judged by their religion.”\n<\/p>\n

\nDan, age 13:
\n“The only photos that I have ever seen were of the brutality.
\nThe photos help to show that these people were normal like
\nanyone else. The people in the photos were smiling.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nI told a story about a courageous young
\nman, named Emanuel, who escaped from the Warsaw
\nGhetto and helped to save my mother. Many students
\ncommented on his story. Josh says it best.<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nJosh, age 14:
\n“The man Emanuel stood out. Someone that courageous is
\nonly found in movies. But he was one in real life.
\nEmanuel will stick with me because that is who I would like
\nto be like.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nAlex, age 14:
\n“I’ve never heard of anyone braver than the Emanuel story.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nAshley, age 13:
\n“These photos [and stories] taught me things about life.
\nI found myself listening intently like, – What will happen next?
\nAll of the stories were very interesting. Life cannot be spent
\nunwisely.You will find out the importance of forgiveness
\nand living your life to the fullest.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nNorth Central High School<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\nMichael, age 16:
\n“[The pictures] were happy, joyful, showed the life of people
\nbefore they were brutalized. They were very moving stories.
\nUnlike other Holocaust stories, these ones had some joy in
\nthem, in addition to sorrow. I certainly [now] understand
\nmore of the human perspective. You cannot forget.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nEmily, age 16:
\n“They are not the same type of photos commonly found in
\ntextbooks. These were much more personal\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. The photos
\nand the stories made the events of the Holocaust all the
\nmore real to me, rather than distant events of another time.
\nIt’s important that we realize the scale of the effects
\nand learn about those affected.”\n<\/p>\n

\nSteve, age 17:
\n“It emphasized the humanity that was destroyed in the Holocaust.
\nIt showed how not just a mass of bodies was destroyed, but a
\nmass of human life, of real humanity. They [photos and stories of life]
\nmade the horrific Holocaust more personal and therefore more
\ntragic\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.It’s important to remember the past to prevent it and
\nunderstand how tragedies develop”\n<\/p>\n

\nLisa, age 16:
\n“It made the impact – much more real when I saw the pictures
\nof people whose lives were taken. The stories were amazing.
\nThey helped me relate to the victims – and also bring forth
\nlost memories.”\n<\/p>\n

\nMimi, age 16:
\n“Stories of people’s lives help you relate to them, to see another
\nperspective and care for someone you’ve never known. Stories
\nare an essential part of humanity, as is sharing them.”\u009d “If you
\ndo not study the mistakes of the past, they will only be repeated.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nCharles, age 16:
\n“It showed the faces of innocents and showed that Jewish people
\nwere “regular”\u009d normal people like everyone else, living their lives.
\n[I learned that] people fought with their spirits. It is very inspirational.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nSarah, age 17:
\n“It was very interesting to hear\/see a presentation on the Holocaust
\nfrom a different, more positive perspective. It inspired me to do
\nmore research from this point of view. The value of an unending
\nhuman spirit is important, and I’m glad I could see the pictures
\nto remember this idea.”\u009d
\n“The eyes motif is very interesting: they serve as windows into
\nthe hearts and lives of these people – [and] truly are symbolic of
\nthe sustained human spirit. It is essential to remember that these
\npeople were not just nameless Jews; they had lives – they
\ncherished throughout. I would love to hear more stories.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\n
\nThe most touching responses discussed the preciousness
\nof life, more fully appreciated after students saw these
\nphotos. Many echoed the views of Mandy Tippmann,
\na 14 year old, for whom the Holocaust was made personal
\nby these images: <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n

\n“I now think of the Holocaust as – individuals.
\nIt [the photos, stories, presentation] opened a place in my heart
\nthat has never been touched before.”\n<\/p>\n

<\/quickcode><\/p>\n

My Gift to You<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

In this director’s message, and in each successive one, I will introduce new photos and new stories for you. Today, the Malach Family will be featured.<\/p>\n

The Malach Family lived at Modrzejoska 56 in Bendin, Poland (in Polish, the town is called Bedzin), and was known, among other things, for their kosher sausage factory. Here are several photos of the Malach Family.<\/p>\n

The Malach Family, in 1935<\/strong><\/center>
\n

\n[singlepic=2245,400,200]
\n<\/center>
\nThis photo features the family when their eldest son, Itzhak, is seated center at the table with his smiling wife, Sara Ruda, shortly after their marriage. In virtually every photo in which Sara is present, her riveting smile commands the viewer’s attraction. In this photo, the Malach Family is seated around the table. Next to Sara Ruda her in-laws are seated, Malka Ruchel Blum Malach and Rafael Herschel Malach, Itzhak’s parents. Flanked around them are (rear, left to right) Itzhak’s younger siblings: Sima, Velvel with violin, Ester and Abraham. In front is Zisia Lea Blum with a young child (name unknown) on her lap.<\/p>\n

Sausage Factory of the Malach Family<\/strong><\/center>
\n

\n[singlepic=2122,400,200]
\n<\/center>
\nThese workers at the Kosher Sausage Factory are making sausage using the same technique that has been used for centuries, and (except for the kosher part) is still employed today in Poland. <\/p>\n

I was contacted by Zishe’s daughter, Sima, who was named after her murdered aunt, who added, “My father, Zishe, is second from right. He is not stirring the barrel. The two on the left are his uncles, my grandfather’s brothers, Moshe and Itzhak. The first man on the right is my uncle Yehiel. I am not sure who is stirring, but maybe it’s Velvel.”<\/p>\n

Sara Ruda Malach in Rowboat<\/strong><\/center>
\n

\n[singlepic=2092,400,200]
\n<\/center>
\nHere is Sara at the Polish resort town of Szczawinca in 1935. The inscription at the bottom, I. Malach, indicates the photo was taken by a member of the Malach family, most likely her husband (or possibly, fiance, at the time), Itzhak Malach.<\/p>\n

Sara Ruda Malach at work<\/strong><\/center>
\n

\n[singlepic=185,400,200]
\n<\/center>
\nSara Ruda Malach was working at the clinic of Dr. Taranszewski, the doctor who would later deliver her baby. The clinic was one of the most respected ones in Bendin, Poland.<\/p>\n

Sara with her newborn baby, 1937.<\/strong> <\/center>
\n

\n[singlepic=2240,400,200]
\n<\/center>
\nNurse Esther Kalikov, whose family owned a pharmacy in Bendin, presents baby Abraham to his mother, Sara Ruda Malach. <\/p>\n

Dr. and Mrs. Taranszewski with baby Abraham Malach, 1937. <\/strong><\/center>
\n

\n[singlepic=2243,400,200]
\n<\/center>
\nDr. Taranszewski, one of Poland’s leading Jewish obstetricians, worked together with Sara Ruda Malach, so it was expected that he would deliver her first (and only) baby when the time came. <\/p>\n

However, this photo, when explicated, makes a poignant statement of love and yearning. <\/p>\n

As Izzy Hollander, who lived at the Bendin Orphanage since he was seven, remembers how the Taranszewski’s would come to the orphanage almost every day to help with the children. Dr. Taranszewski would come when he was not delivering babies, and his wife would come every single day, to help the orphans. “She talked to us, she helped with our studies, she took our temperature to make sure we were healthy, and she made us a feeling of home<\/em>.” <\/p>\n

“I remember when I went to their house for the Sabbath. The building had the first elevator in Bendin, and she made the best chocolate cake I ever ate!<\/em>“\u009d<\/p>\n

This photo shows Dr. and Mrs. Taranszewski holding little Abraham, the baby of Sara and Itzhak Malach. Mrs. Taranszewski would sometimes come to the hospital just to hold the babies her husband had just delivered.<\/p>\n

The tragedy of Dr. and Mrs. Taranszewski was that, although Dr. Taranszewski delivered babies for so many other families, this couple – despite years of trying – could not have a baby of their own. However, with the love they lavished on the orphans at the Bendin Orphanage, they created a different kind of family for children who missed having a family of their own. <\/p>\n

For inquiries about bringing these and other photos to your community, please contact Ann Weiss at annweiss@thelastalbum.org<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n

The Bar Mitzvah Mitzvah<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a number of ways that a Bar\/Bat Mitzvah can be made even more meaningful by making a linkage with these photographs\u00e2\u20ac\u201dparticularly the photos of children. Recently, David Kimmel, age 13, offered to help Eyes from the Ashes Educational Foundation<\/em>, this 501(c)3 non-profit foundation, as his Bar Mitzvah – Mitzvah’ Project. He and I worked together, found just the way he could help most, and toward that end, David donated both actions and a portion of his mitzvah money to help the work of the foundation. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Parasha of Tol Dot<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n

\nTHE STORY\n<\/p>\n

\nIsaac and his wife, Rebekah, had two sons, Esau and Jacob.
\nBefore they were born, they had struggled in Rebekah’s womb
\nand were born with Jacob grabbing at the heal of Esau. As they
\ngrew up, Isaac far preferred his eldest son, Esau, because he
\nbrought Isaac fresh meat from every successful hunt.
\nRebekah most loved Jacob, who was milder and stayed close
\nto home.\n<\/p>\n

\nOne day Esau came home from a poor day’s hunt.
\nHe was famished, and as he entered the tent, he smelled the
\nfragrant stew that Jacob was making. He pleaded with Jacob
\nto share, and Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as first born,
\nand I shall give you some.”\u009d Reasoning that his birthright would
\nmean nothing to him if he perished from starvation, Esau accepted
\nthis bargain and exchanged his birthright for a bowl of soup.\n<\/p>\n

\nIsaac dwelled in Abraham’s lands and re-dug his father’s wells
\nthat had been buried by the Philistines. The people of the land
\nquarreled with him over the first and second of these wells, but
\nnot the third well. So Isaac kept the third well giving it the same
\nname as Abraham had and sent his servants to dig a new fourth
\nwell which flowed with fresh new water.\n<\/p>\n

\nAs Isaac became old, his eyes grew weak, and he said
\nto Esau, “I soon will die, so bring me meat and I shall give you
\nmy innermost blessing.”\u009d Rebekah overheard this and said secretly
\nto Jacob, “Go to the flock and fetch two goats, and I will make
\nthe dish your father likes. Then cover yourself with a goatskin
\nso Isaac will think you are big and hairy like Esau. Approach your
\nfather dressed in Esau’s clothes and give him the meat so that
\nyou receive the blessing from your father first.”\u009d\n<\/p>\n

\nJacob did as his mother said and deceived his father
\ninto thinking he was Esau. Isaac gave Jacob his finest blessing
\nto be prosperous and to be master of his brothers and other nations.
\nNo sooner had Jacob left than the real Esau entered and said,
\n“Bless me now, Father.”\u009d But Isaac trembled violently and cried that
\nhe could not give an equal blessing. Esau wailed and wept, “Have
\nyou but one blessing, Father? Haven’t you reserved a blessing?
\nBless me too, Father!”\u009d And so Isaac gave him an inferior blessing,
\nand Esau loathed his brother more than ever before.\n<\/p>\n

\nRebekah advised Jacob to flee the land and go stay with
\nher brother until Esau’s anger would subside.\n<\/p>\n

\nTHE LESSONS\n<\/p>\n

\nSome people might see this as the story of two brothers who were
\nenemies since birth. But there is a deeper meaning beyond sibling
\nrivalry. This Parasha is called “Tol Dot\u009d which means “Generations.”
\nIn the story there are connections to the past, present, and future
\nin this long family line. You can not look at the fighting of Esau and
\nJacob without examining what they learned from Isaac and Rebekah
\nand wondering what exactly Isaac wanted to pass along to his sons.
\nIt seems that in passing along blessings for health and happiness, he
\nalso gave them reason to be angry and distrustful of each other.\n<\/p>\n

\nIn fact, throughout the Torah, we see numerous generations
\nof parents picking favorites among their children and creating
\nbitterness and rivalry. Abraham banished his first son Ishmael
\nin favor of Isaac. And, Isaac favored Esau over Jacob. Why
\ncouldn’t Isaac have loved them equally? Even Esau questions
\nwhy his father’s love is so limited. The Torah doesn’t explain why
\nthese preferences are created. Perhaps Rebekah would not have
\nfelt the need to stick up for Jacob if Isaac had treated them equally.
\nAs a father himself, Jacob favored Joseph over his other twelve
\nbrothers. And so, each generation carried forward this selective
\nfavoritism until Joseph who intentionally broke the cycle by blessing
\nhis children, Ephraim and Manasseh equally, and it is said that
\nhis boys never fought. Today, when children are blessed on Shabbat,
\nwe say to the boys may you be like Ephraim and Manasseh.\n<\/p>\n

\nAt the same time, Isaac did some things right. He prospered
\nwhen he followed Abraham’s example and listened to God and
\nfollowed by God’s laws. During the years that Isaac prospered
\nhe went back to the wells of his father. He could use one of the
\nwells but even after he unclogged the others, the people fought
\nwith him over ownership. When he dug his own well he found
\nthat it flowed with fresh clean water and no one argued with him
\nover it. The new well represents new ideas. When he followed
\nthe exact same path as his father he found it “clogged”\u009d with old
\nideas. But when he followed his own path he found a fresh new
\nsource.\n<\/p>\n

\nIt may be easy to say, “I will not make the same mistakes as
\nmy parents. I will follow what I know to be right.”\u009d But it’s a lot
\nharder to do. Because if you decide to learn from the past, you
\nhave to know what really happened. And without a good role
\nmodel, you have to go into unexplored territory, to create new
\nideas and teachings. And there’s another risk. What if you’re
\nwrong? What if the new ideas are simply a greater mistake?
\nThe lessons from generations before you are only as useful as
\nwhat you do with them.\n<\/p>\n

\nThis parasha is a particularly good example of how the Torah
\ndoes not try to make people always look noble. It shows both
\nthe best and worst in this family. You have to know that even
\nthe people we admire were not always perfect. In fact, the best
\nway to honor the memory of previous generations is not to sugarcoat
\nhistory but to take an honest look at who people were and what the
\nconsequences of their choices were. You don’t want to turn your back
\non the past, but you don’t want to try to erase the parts that are
\nunpleasant or make people look bad just because it’s easier or makes
\na nicer story. You’re more likely to repeat a mistake if you don’t
\nknow what really happened. The Torah is definitely harsh in its
\npresentation of people. But the blessing for us, is that by studying
\nthese stories in all their honesty, you can try to make wiser choices
\ngoing forward. Isaac was literally and figuratively short-sighted,
\nand we can see the consequences of his stingy love. He almost
\ndrove his sons to fratricide. And love wasn’t and isn’t even a
\nlimited resource like water which Isaac was better at tapping into.\n<\/p>\n

\nWHERE DO I FIND MYSELF IN THIS STORY?\n<\/p>\n

\nI am the oldest out of the three boys in my family. As the Elder
\nbrother I must set a good example for my younger siblings. For
\nexample: If I share with my brothers they will share back. If I
\nyell at my brothers they will yell back. Just like in the story,
\ngood (or bad) behavior is passed through generations because
\nof role models in the families. Isaac could have blessed both his
\nsons equally, but he decided that Essau was more important than
\nJacob. Isaac might have picked up this idea from one of the role
\nmodels in his life, Abraham. If Abraham loved Ishmael and Isaac
\nequally then maybe Isaac would have picked up the trait and loved
\nhis sons equally and Jacob would have loved his sons equally. But
\nunfortunately, no one set a good role model in this topic and that
\ncaused a lot of conflicts. Each new generation makes a choice.
\nThey may choose not to follow their ancestors, and this may be a
\nbad thing, or maybe a good thing. So following the example of
\nthis story I am obliged to set a good example for the younger people
\nin my family and show them the right path to choose.\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nMy Mitzvah project has been to store and preserve
\nphotographs rescued from destruction from the Auschwitz
\nconcentration camp.
\nAnn Weiss, a member of Beth Am, was the person
\nwho found and rescued these photographs.
\nI want to thank her for giving me the honor of
\ntrusting me with their safekeeping. I’m also donating a
\nportion of my bar mitzvah money to Ann Weiss’
\n“Eyes from the Ashes”\u009d Foundation. I’ve also learned
\nhow to play cello music composed in the
\nTerezin Concentration Camp which I played last
\nnight at a recital.\n<\/p>\n

\nThe Holocaust is an ugly chapter in human history,
\nbut the pictures show the people when they were
\nhappy and celebrating. The things they would want
\nus to remember. We don’t see them as victims in
\nthese photographs, but as full living people. The
\nHolocaust is one example of a past that maybe people
\nwant to pretend didn’t happen but if we can learn
\nsomething from it, and preserve the best of people,
\nthen we have a better chance of preventing more
\n“ugly chapters”\u009d in human history for future generations.
\nThis mitzvah project has been especially meaningful since
\nyesterday was the 69th anniversary of Crystal night
\n(Kristallnacht). On November 9, 1938, German soldiers
\nraided Jewish communities destroying thousands of
\nshops and synagogs and killing ninety-one people. The
\nbroken glass from shop windows made the ground a terrible
\nglittering array of crystal shards. Crystal night was a wake
\nup call to many Jews in Europe that their world was
\nshattering and worse was to come.\n<\/p>\n

\nThis project is a way to preserve the memories of
\npast generations and remember both their suffering
\nand hopes for a better future. We are their future.
\nI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m going to try to learn from this how to make
\ndecisions in my life, to let the past guide my decisions
\nbut not actually make the decisions for me.\n<\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/quickcode><\/p>\n

To discuss personalized Bar\/Bat Mitzvah ideas or to share your thoughts, questions and ideas, please contact Ann Weiss at annweiss@thelastalbum.org<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Message from the Director – Spring-Summer 2008 My plan for the next six months is simple: Share more photos, share more narratives with more student\/adult groups, ecumenical and otherwise. Mount the photo exhibition and screen the video montage of these personal family photos found at Auschwitz-Birkenau for more cities, so that more minds can be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fromann","category-previous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1741,"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions\/1741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelastalbum.org\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}